Thieved Lives
by AlyCat20
Summary: He had let go. But what had happened after that, before he had appeared again? When everyone thought he was gone, he wasn't. Neither was the woman who was taken in by the great terrible one. Her actions told one story, thoughts told another. Both yearned for something better. Then, though their souls burned, their lives were gone. *Some language, violence, and some suicidal ideas.*


_Author's Note: At long last, I finally return with another story! I'm sure that not many of you know me in order to be aware of my absence, but it still feels good to come back after a while with something that I think will turn out great. Well, you've read the description, and it obviously piqued your interest, so continue to read! Beta read by my friend V._

_*Also take note that Gamora is another main character in this story. (I have no idea why her character isn't listed in the options, yet other characters who have never appeared in an Avengers movie are listed.)*_

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_~Part One~_

"The planet has been taken, Father." The green woman's voice echoed throughout the gloomy, cavernous room as she strode to the simple throne on which a larger figure sat. She ascended the low steps towards the throne and knelt at its occupant's feet. She continued, "The Theradite King pledges eternal loyalty to your cause."

The other being shifted in his seat. "He accepted my terms?" he inquired.

"Eventually." She rose back to her feet, tossing down in front of him a small sack. Peeking out of it was a golden crown still sitting atop a head.

His slightly worn purple face lit up with a satisfactory grin. He then stood and gazed down at the one he took so much pride in, musing, "...Well done, Daughter. Well done."

Gamora smirked back at Thanos, pleased by his word of approval. After she explained how her latest mission to bring another land under a new rule played out, her adoptive father reached down for the sack. Picking it up, he examined the contents inside. "You may return to your chambers," he finally said.

At this, the young warrior promptly left the area, heading for another sector on the vast and lonely vessel hovering in the void of distant space.

* * *

For every time she had done this over the years, she always made sure that it was when most of the occupants on the ship had retired for the day. Silently, like the assassin that she was trained to be, Gamora crept out of her living quarters and slunk down the dingy corridor as quietly as she could.

"Going out again?"

She whipped around towards the source of the voice and instinctively reached for a weapon from her belt, which she didn't immediately realize she had already put away in her room earlier. Fortunately, she wouldn't need it now. The voice belonged to none other than her sister, who was leaning against the wall. A scrutinizing look gleamed in her dark eyes.

"Yes, Nebula. Why must you keep bothering me about it?"

Part of Nebula's face gave off a metallic sheen, slightly illuminating the rest of her blue face as she tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. "It's just a waste of time. You know that," she sneered.

Gamora only sighed at this remark, and she turned away to continue on her short journey. In a little while, she finally reached her destination. She walked past all of the small ships that were docked in the bay, heading for the open entrance to the expanse of the universe. Despite the platform being so open to the void, it was safe to walk here due to the atmospheric field constructed there. This is what Gamora took advantage of so many times.

She stopped walking as soon as the scattered lights of the cosmos hovered above her head, and here she sat, crossing her legs and staring upwards. There was always the possibility that Thanos was aware of her doing this, but she found that she did not care. If he was, he had never confronted her about it. Gamora took a deep breath and exhaled, letting the silence settle over her mind.

Behind her confident demeanor, she had always felt so lonely, so isolated from the rest of the universe. Thanos had told her countless times that she truly belonged nowhere else, nowhere better than the Sanctuary II (The first "Sanctuary" being only an asteroid field where the Chitauri dwelled, and where Thanos would spend some time when giving his followers orders). This was his grand vessel from which he ruled over other planets that he chose to take into his care. He had promised that through his actions, he would one day bring nothing but prosperity and happiness to all the children of the universe, no matter who stood in his way. Gamora should be honored to be one of his own children who gets to carry out his decisions, according to him. Even though she grew to follow his every order without question, these words of his still made her feel uneasy. Such a wonderful promise seems difficult to accomplish, and she could not figure out how he could possibly manage to reach out to all peoples of the galaxies. He was intelligent, but she still worried.

So after every mission he sent her on, or whenever she really needed to escape if just for a moment, she would visit the stars to feel their strangely warm embrace. She wasn't sure how spending time with thousands of pinpricks of light helped her, but it did. She loved to gaze at them, memorizing their positions, having the peace of mind knowing that they are some of the few good things that would remain constant in her life. There they hung every passing day, twinkling and undisturbed…

…Until now. Only someone who has spent years scrutinizing the heavens like her could notice, but something was certainly out of place. A small distant flash blazed, and from it emerged… something. At first, it just blocked out the light of a few stars, but the mysterious object continued to grow larger. It didn't take long for Gamora to figure out that this was an object coming closer and closer to the vessel. She stood and strained to see what exactly this intruder was. Unease began to settle in her stomach, and she regretted leaving behind her weapons. However, unease turned into confusion when she realized that the object was not an invading ship or something of the likes, but rather a _body_. Dozens of questions raced through her head as to how or why some poor soul would wind up stranded in space, or why they were miraculously hurtling straight towards this isolated starship. Still shocked, Gamora only began to run towards the figure after it entered the platform's synthetic atmosphere. She still hadn't yet reached it after it made hard contact with the ground in an unglamorous thud. Then it laid there, unmoving.

As she ran towards it faster, she instinctively analyzed that it was an adult male, and his attire suggested that he was from a more proficient civilization. He appeared to have blue flesh at first, but when she arrived at his body, he was a light peachy tone instead. _Odd… _she wondered.

Gamora knelt down above the dark haired man, unsure of what to do in such a bizarre situation. She noticed that he wasn't breathing. "Oh my god," she muttered. She whipped her head up to the sky where he had fallen from, then back to him. _What the hell? _But she might as well make sure that he was dead, so she grabbed his shoulder and gave it a shake. "Hey," she said as loudly as she dared. He still didn't move. She tried calling to him one more time, but she received no response.

She was about to let go of him and accept that he was gone, but she then jumped back due to the man's sudden burst of movement. He violently coughed and sputtered, gasping for air that he seemed to have been deprived of. A small trickle of blood emerged from his mouth as his emerald eyes weakly fluttered open, meeting the bewildered face of the green woman.

Now that she knew he was alive, Gamora tried to ask him, "Hey, what happened to you- no wait, stay awake!" But he was already succumbing to unconsciousness again. She cursed under her breath and stood up, taking a moment to decide what to do next. "I'll go get someone," she promised the man before she dashed off. Then she mentally kicked herself; since he was unconscious, her words wouldn't help him.

Gamora groaned at the thought of having to explain to the others how exactly she just happened to discover him, but he needed help if he was going to live. That is, she hoped that he wanted to live. Surely his fall was only an accident…

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_Author's Note: I know that Gamora seems a bit soft right now, but this is simply focusing on her inner thoughts. Of course she has a different attitude from the perspectives of others, which you will see later. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this first chapter, because I enjoyed writing it! (Not all of it, though, as the very beginning is actually from one of the deleted scenes of Infinity War. Go check it out!) I would also enjoy any non-flaming feedback should you wish to provide any! I always appreciate compliments or suggestions on how I can improve my writing._


End file.
